An Inauguration For The People

Million Dollar Man? Earl W. Stafford, Sr. is backing inauguration plans with a large amount of cash.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The Stafford Foundation, founded by Earl Stafford Sr. in 2002, is a private foundation committed to helping under-served, marginalized, and distressed individuals.

Recently, the foundation announced its inauguration plans to celebrate the election of Barack Obama. Most notable in the plans is the inclusion of injured and forgotten vets, the terminally ill, financially challenged, homeless, physically disabled and others who would otherwise find it impossible to attend the historic inauguration.

Black Voices has more:

"Our foundation is thrilled about the unprecedented opportunity to bring Americans of every walk of life together for a momentous celebration," said Earl W. Stafford, Sr., who founded the Stafford Foundation in 2002. "We are committed to giving the underserved a chance to prosper and thrive, and these events will offer them a front-row seat to our nation's historic celebration in downtown Washington."

Thanks to the foundation's $1 million investment, participants will attend the events and stay at the JW Marriott free of charge. A third of the tickets for all the Stafford Foundation events will be distributed to hundreds of marginalized Americans who have demonstrated a positive example by embodying hope and facilitating change in their communities. The Marriott will serve as the central point to welcome the group of diverse people who come to celebrate America's new president.

Mr. Stafford added, "The People's Inaugural Project offers the underprivileged in our society a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come to our nation's capital and join in the watershed inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. It's a historic investment for our foundation."

Geoffrey Gardner

Tags: Stafford Foundation

12:48 PM ET | 12- 5-2008 | permalink

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